Real Madrid center forward Karim Benzema is right up there with Robert Lewandowski and Sergio Aguero as one of the best No. 9’s in the world, and Los Blancos need their star forward to return to form as soon as possible.
Earlier this season, Karim Benzema could not stop scoring. In the first half of the season from mid-August to mid-December, the Real Madrid striker was the best player in La Liga, having scored 12 goals with five assists. He had multiple patches where he scored five goals in five games, looking like one of the most consistent No. 9’s in the world.
Since the first Clasico, Benzema’s play has fallen off a cliff, especially recently. The former France international has been in woeful form, with only one goal and one assist in his last nine La Liga games. Even when Eden Hazard returned and looked like he never lost a stop, Benzema was wasteful and ineffective as a goal-scorer against both Celta Vigo and Levante.
And on Wednesday against Manchester City, Benzema reached a new low.
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In a game where Benzema was supposed to be the difference-maker for Real Madrid, the 32-year-old flopped on a night when the 19-year-old Vinicius Junior looked ready to take over the entire world.
Benzema drew one foul, had one key pass, and took one shot all night long for Real Madrid, per WhoScored.com. Those are abysmal numbers and are a complete departure from his usual form in the Champions League.
Recall that Benz had back-to-back braces against Galatasaray and PSG in November, had five key passes against Galatasaray in October, and led the team’s furious comeback against Club Brugge.
Benzema was one of the Champions League’s finest forwards in the group stages of the competition and helped carry Los Blancos to the knockout stages. But in the first round against Manchester City, Benzema looked lost.
Hazard’s injury can’t explain the drop-off in form either, because, again, Benzema wasn’t effective when Real dropped points in their last two La Liga matchups with Hazard on the pitch. Beyond that, Vinicius was incredible, yet Benzema couldn’t take advantage.
Every player has slumps, even the great ones like Benzema. But this is the most inopportune time for a slump from Benzema. Normally, when Benz struggles, he still manages to make an impact in some respect. However, against City, he was so far off that nothing he did worked.
Real Madrid need Benzema as badly as they need Casemiro. When he isn’t performing, the club are not Champions League contenders. But when he is scoring goals and showing his love for the game on the ball, creating for others, Los Blancos are as dangerous as any team on this planet.
They need Benzema to step up this weekend in El Clasico and beyond. Real are heading into a critical stretch of the schedule in both competitions, and without Benzema in top form, they can consider their chances at either trophy as slim-to-none.